Assessment of physicochemical properties and radioactivity in groundwater at households living in bac Lieu province, vietnam.

This paper presents findings on groundwater physiochemical composition and radioactivity levels in households in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam. Through discriminant analysis, it was observed that groundwater quality exhibits spatial variations corresponding to saline intrusion zones. The paired-samples T-tests revealed significantly different ratios of Ra-224, Ra-226, and Ra-228 isotopes between Na-Cl and Ca-Na-HCO3 water types. All three water types had a ratio of Ra-226/Ra-228 of approximately one, indicating the presence of groundwater aquifers beneath the crust and fluvial marine sediment. Furthermore, strong associations between sulfate and calcium suggest that CO2 enrichment in groundwater aquifers indicates anoxic aquatic environments. Twenty-five of the thirty-three evaluated samples exceeded the national technical regulations for domestic water quality with parameters such as chloride, sulfate, sodium, gross alpha, or total dissolved solids. Fifteen samples exceeded gross alpha's allowable contamination threshold of 0.1 Bq/L. The combination of Ra-226 and Ra-228 did not surpass the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limit of 0.185 Bq/L. However, nineteen samples exhibited annual committed effective doses of radium isotopes for infants that exceeded the WHO recommendation of 0.1 mSv/year.

CYSTOID MACULAR EDEMA IN BIRDSHOT RETINOCHOROÏDITIS: Long-Term Treatment Study in 142 Patients.

PURPOSE: To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of treatments for cystoid macular edema in birdshot retinochoroïditis. METHODS: Observational retrospective study of 142 HLA-A29-positive patients with cystoid macular edema; the main outcome was the optical coherence tomography intraretinal cysts resolution. RESULTS: During the mean follow-up of 75 months (12-178), 61.3% of patients were successfully treated using 1 to 3 treatment steps, while the others needed more steps. At 6 months, there were no significant effects on ME for anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) and IVIg (immunoglobulin) in contrast to antimetabolites (OR 1.98), systemic GCS (glucocorticosteroids), CsA (cyclosporine A) and tocilizumab (odds ratio closed to 2.7), intraocular injected GCS (odds ratio of 4.2), and interferon (odds ratio of 4.4). The percentages of therapeutic success trend to decrease from the initial three treatment steps to the subsequent treatment steps, for systemic GCS (84% to 70%), for anti-TNF (42% to 33%), and for CsA (71% to 33%); the success percentages did not decrease for injected GCS (83% to 89%). Macular edema recurrence occurred with the highest percentage for injected GCS (86.8%, P = 0.01) and the lowest for tocilizumab (10.5%, P = 0.001). Interferons-α and tocilizumab were associated with the lowest prednisone daily doses. CONCLUSION: The classical uveitic cystoid macular edema therapeutic algorithm could be adapted to birdshot retinochoroïditis.

Assessing Alzheimer's disease via plasma extracellular vesicle-derived mRNA.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, has emerged as a significant health concern. Recently it has been revealed that extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a critical role in AD pathogenesis and progression. Their stability and presence in various biofluids, such as blood, offer a minimally invasive window for monitoring AD-related changes. METHODS: We analyzed plasma EV-derived messenger RNA (mRNA) from 82 human subjects, including individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy controls. With next-generation sequencing, we profiled differentially expressed genes (DEGs), identifying those associated with AD. RESULTS: Based on DEGs identified in both the MCI and AD groups, a diagnostic model was established based on machine learning, demonstrating an average diagnostic accuracy of over 98% and showed a strong correlation with different AD stages. DISCUSSION: mRNA derived from plasma EVs shows significant promise as a non-invasive biomarker for the early detection and continuous monitoring of AD. Highlights: The study conducted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of mRNA derived from human plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) to assess Alzheimer's disease (AD).Profiling of plasma EV-derived mRNA shows a significantly enriched AD pathway, indicating its potential for AD-related studies.The AD-prediction model achieved a receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC-AUC) of more than 0.98, with strong correlation to the established Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR).

Investigating the immediate and mid-term effect of a gamified e-learning platform for the enhancement of traffic knowledge and skills among Vietnamese adolescents operating powered two-wheelers.

INTRODUCTION: Traffic crashes caused by adolescents are being assessed as particularly serious and a common concern of society as a whole. Improving traffic knowledge and skills is crucial in reducing adolescent traffic crashes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a gamified e-learning platform on traffic knowledge and skills among adolescents (aged 15-18) in Vietnam. METHOD: Using a pretest-posttest design, this quasi-experimental study, included 350 participants within the intervention group and 350 participants within the control group. All participants were selected from three high schools in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Intervention group participants got a gamified traffic safety learning experience with a gamified e-learning platform, while control group participants received general traffic safety education through conventional methods using short videos. The effect was measured via tests focusing on traffic knowledge and skills. Data were subsequently collected from both groups before (i.e., pretest) and immediately after (i.e., posttest 1) following the education. In addition, within the intervention group also a second posttest (i.e., posttest 2) was conducted six months after following the education. RESULTS: A significant increase in scores on posttest 1 compared to the pretest was found in the intervention group but not in the control group. Also, among the intervention group, the scores in posttest 2 were significantly better than those in the pretest, however, there was no difference in scores between posttest 1 and posttest 2. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that the gamified e-learning platform cannot only improve participants' knowledge of traffic safety but also help participants retain such knowledge for at least six months. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study findings can reinforce the important role of traffic safety education in improving adolescent traffic knowledge and skills.

Clinical and preclinical insights into high-dose ambroxol therapy for Gaucher disease type 2 and 3: A comprehensive systematic review.

RATIONALE: Gaucher disease (GD), an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease, results from GBA1 variants causing glucocerebrosidase (GCase) deficiency. While enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) helps with systemic symptoms, neurological complications in GD2 and GD3 persist due to the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) limiting ERT efficacy. Ambroxol, a BBB-permeable chaperone, enhances GCase activity. Our review explores high-dose ambroxol's therapeutic potential, both preclinical and clinical, in GD2 and GD3. METHODS: PubMed was searched for studies published before March 2023, including clinical, animal, and in vitro studies focusing on the effect of high-dose ambroxol in GD2 and GD3. A narrative synthesis was performed. RESULTS: Nine in vitro, three animal, and eight clinical studies were included, demonstrating varied responses to ambroxol across diverse outcome measures. In vitro and animal studies demonstrated reduced endoplasmatic reticulum stress due to the relocation of GCase from the ER to the lysosomes. In vitro cell lines exhibited varying degrees of increased GCase activity. Clinical trials observed reduced lyso-GL1 levels in plasma (41-89%) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (26-97%), alongside increased GCase activity in GD3 patients. Ambroxol exhibited varying effects on neurological outcomes and development. No severe adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: High-dose ambroxol shows promise in managing neurological manifestations in GD3, albeit with uncertainties resulting from genetic heterogeneity and variable response. Further clinical trials, are essential for elucidating dosage-response relationships and refining treatment outcomes and strategies for neuronopathic GD.

Evaluating research ethics committees in Vietnam and Laos: Results of a validated self-assessment tool.

BACKGROUND: There is an increase in human subject research in developing countries and conducting them in an ethical manner depends on the research ethics oversight in these countries. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the operational, financial, and educational characteristics of research ethics committees (RECs) at institutions in Vietnam and Laos. METHODS: A validated self-assessment tool designed to assess nine major characteristics of RECs was translated into Vietnamese and Laotian. The translated surveys were delivered to and completed by representatives from RECs at institutions in Vietnam and Laos. The surveys were collected, translated back into English, and scored. The data was analyzed to identify potential areas of strength and areas for improvement. RESULTS: The mean survey score for the 19 RECs surveyed was 165.3 out of a maximum of 200 points with a standard deviation of 22.9. Committees scored the highest in the review of specific protocol items (95.6%), submission arrangements and materials (89.5%), and the policies referring to review procedures (85.6%) domains. RECs scored the lowest in the resources domain (65.5%), with only 26.3% of committees having an annual budget. Nearly all RECs have standard operating procedures (94.7%) and policies for disclosing conflicts of interest (89.5%). Most committees use prior ethics training as a criterion to select REC chairs (78.9%) and members (73.7%), with the majority of committees requiring a training course in ethics (76.5%). 68.4% of committees have continuing education in ethics for members and only 42.1% of committees have a budget for member training. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that RECs in Vietnam and Laos have strong foundational review processes for research protocols. Important areas of improvement include improved institutional oversight, financial and administrative resources, and the continued ethics education for current committee members.

Unfolded Proximal Neural Networks for Robust Image Gaussian Denoising.

A common approach to solve inverse imaging problems relies on finding a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate of the original unknown image, by solving a minimization problem. In this context, iterative proximal algorithms are widely used, enabling to handle non-smooth functions and linear operators. Recently, these algorithms have been paired with deep learning strategies, to further improve the estimate quality. In particular, proximal neural networks (PNNs) have been introduced, obtained by unrolling a proximal algorithm as for finding a MAP estimate, but over a fixed number of iterations, with learned linear operators and parameters. As PNNs are based on optimization theory, they are very flexible, and can be adapted to any image restoration task, as soon as a proximal algorithm can solve it. They further have much lighter architectures than traditional networks. In this article we propose a unified framework to build PNNs for the Gaussian denoising task, based on both the dual-FB and the primal-dual Chambolle-Pock algorithms. We further show that accelerated inertial versions of these algorithms enable skip connections in the associated NN layers. We propose different learning strategies for our PNN framework, and investigate their robustness (Lipschitz property) and denoising efficiency. Finally, we assess the robustness of our PNNs when plugged in a forward-backward algorithm for an image deblurring problem.

Metabolic RNA labeling in non-engineered cells following spontaneous uptake of fluorescent nucleoside phosphate analogues.

RNA and its building blocks play central roles in biology and have become increasingly important as therapeutic agents and targets. Hence, probing and understanding their dynamics in cells is important. Fluorescence microscopy offers live-cell spatiotemporal monitoring but requires labels. We present two fluorescent adenine analogue nucleoside phosphates which show spontaneous uptake and accumulation in cultured human cells, likely via nucleoside transporters, and show their potential utilization as cellular RNA labels. Upon uptake, one nucleotide analogue, 2CNqAXP, localizes to the cytosol and the nucleus. We show that it could then be incorporated into de novo synthesized cellular RNA, i.e. it was possible to achieve metabolic fluorescence RNA labeling without using genetic engineering to enhance incorporation, uptake-promoting strategies, or post-labeling through bio-orthogonal chemistries. By contrast, another nucleotide analogue, pAXP, only accumulated outside of the nucleus and was rapidly excreted. Consequently, this analogue did not incorporate into RNA. This difference in subcellular accumulation and retention results from a minor change in nucleobase chemical structure. This demonstrates the importance of careful design of nucleoside-based drugs, e.g. antivirals to direct their subcellular localization, and shows the potential of fine-tuning fluorescent base analogue structures to enhance the understanding of the function of such drugs.

Hemodynamic characteristics in ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a prospective cohort study utilizing the AneurysmFlow™ tool.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hemodynamic factors significantly influence the onset, progression, and rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs). Current rupture risk prediction scores focus primarily on the clinical, anatomical and morphological aspects. This study aimed to investigate the hemodynamic characteristics differences between ruptured and unruptured IAs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conducted from July 2021 to July 2022, this prospective cohort study involved patients with ruptured and unruptured IAs undergoing digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Hemodynamic characteristics were assessed using the AneurysmFlow™ tool. Hemodynamic, clinical, anatomical and morphological parameters were compared between ruptured and unruptured IA groups. RESULTS: The study included 127 patients with 135 aneurysms (67 ruptured, 68 unruptured). Complex flow patterns (type 3 and 4) were observed more frequently in ruptured aneurysms compared to unruptured aneurysms (odds ratio [OR], 5.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.49-12.45; P < 0.001) in univariate analysis, and were also more common in unruptured aneurysms associated with daughter sacs features (P = 0.015). The mean aneurysm flow amplitude (MAFA) was lower in ruptured aneurysms, and associated with lower flow velocity in the parent artery related to vasospasm. MAFA in the aneurysmal dome or any additional daughter sacs was lowest compared to other regions inside the aneurysms. The technical failure rate of AneurysmFlow™ measurements was 8.5% (12 out of 139 patients). Additionally, hypertension (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.30-0.54; P < 0.001), bifurcation location (AcomA/ACA/MCA/PcomA/posterior circulation) (OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.05-0.29; P = 0.005), and irregular shape (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05-0.35; P = 0.012) were identified as independently associated with rupture. CONCLUSIONS: Complex flow patterns identified on the AneurysmFlow™ tool are significantly more common in ruptured and unruptured aneurysms associated with daughter sac features. The lowest MAFA in the aneurysmal dome and daughter sacs likely indicates specific pathophysiological changes within the aneurysm wall associated with rupture incidence. Hypertension, bifurcation location, and an irregular shape are independently associated with the risk of rupture. Further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings. ABBREVIATIONS: ACA = anterior cerebral artery; AcomA = anterior communicating artery; IAs = intracranial aneurysms; ICA = internal carotid artery; MAFA = mean aneurysm flow amplitude; MCA = middle cerebral artery; PcomA = posterior communicating artery; RIAs = ruptured intracranial aneurysms; SAH = subarachnoid hemorrhage; UIAs = unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

Seroprevalence of anti-diphtheria toxoid antibody and implications for vaccination policy in Vietnam's South-central coast: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Diphtheria is a re-emerging infectious disease and public health concern worldwide and in Vietnam with increasing cases in recent years. This study aimed to assess the anti-diphtheria toxoid antibodies status in Khanh Hoa Province and identify factors contributing to the vaccination policy in the south-central coast of Vietnam. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-diphtheria toxoid antibodies among 1,195 participants, aged 5 - 40 years in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Immunoglobulin G antibody levels against diphtheria were detected using a commercial anti-diphtheria toxoid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (SERION ELISA classic Diphtheria Immunoglobulin G) and were categorized following the World Health Organization guidelines. RESULTS: The mean anti-diphtheria toxoid antibody levels were 0.07 IU/ml (95% Confidence Interval: 0.07-0.08). Anti-diphtheria toxoid antibody levels were found to be associated with age and history of diphtheria vaccination. The 5-15 years age group had the highest levels (0.09 IU/ml), while the older age group had the lowest antibody level (p < 0.001). Individuals who received three doses (adjusted Odds ratio: 2.34, 95%CI: 1.35 - 4.07) or 4+ doses (adjusted Odds ratio: 2.45, 95%CI: 1.29 - 4.64) had a higher antibody level compared to those who received only one dose regardless of age. CONCLUSION: It is crucial to promote routine vaccination coverage to over 95% for children under one year of age with three primary doses of the diphtheria-containing vaccine, including additional doses at 18 months and 7 years of age. Booster doses should be promoted and administered to adolescents and adults every 10 years.

CapNet: An Automatic Attention-Based with Mixer Model for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Image Segmentation.

Deep neural networks have shown excellent performance in medical image segmentation, especially for cardiac images. Transformer-based models, though having advantages over convolutional neural networks due to the ability of long-range dependence learning, still have shortcomings such as having a large number of parameters and and high computational cost. Additionally, for better results, they are often pretrained on a larger data, thus requiring large memory size and increasing resource expenses. In this study, we propose a new lightweight but efficient model, namely CapNet, based on convolutions and mixing modules for cardiac segmentation from magnetic resonance images (MRI) that can be trained from scratch with a small amount of parameters. To handle varying sizes and shapes which often occur in cardiac systolic and diastolic phases, we propose attention modules for pooling, spatial, and channel information. We also propose a novel loss called the Tversky Shape Power Distance function based on the shape dissimilarity between labels and predictions that shows promising performances compared to other losses. Experiments on three public datasets including ACDC benchmark, Sunnybrook data, and MS-CMR challenge are conducted and compared with other state of the arts (SOTA). For binary segmentation, the proposed CapNet obtained the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 94% and 95.93% for respectively the Endocardium and Epicardium regions with Sunnybrook dataset, 94.49% for Endocardium, and 96.82% for Epicardium with the ACDC data. Regarding the multiclass case, the average DSC by CapNet is 93.05% for the ACDC data; and the DSC scores for the MS-CMR are 94.59%, 92.22%, and 93.99% for respectively the bSSFP, T2-SPAIR, and LGE sequences of the MS-CMR. Moreover, the statistical significance analysis tests with p-value < 0.05 compared with transformer-based methods and some CNN-based approaches demonstrated that the CapNet, though having fewer training parameters, is statistically significant. The promising evaluation metrics show comparative results in both Dice and IoU indices compared to SOTA CNN-based and Transformer-based architectures.

Antagonistic conflict between transposon-encoded introns and guide RNAs.

TnpB nucleases represent the evolutionary precursors to CRISPR-Cas12 and are widespread in all domains of life. IS605-family TnpB homologs function as programmable RNA-guided homing endonucleases in bacteria, driving transposon maintenance through DNA double-strand break-stimulated homologous recombination. In this work, we uncovered molecular mechanisms of the transposition life cycle of IS607-family elements that, notably, also encode group I introns. We identified specific features for a candidate "IStron" from Clostridium botulinum that allow the element to carefully control the relative levels of spliced products versus functional guide RNAs. Our results suggest that IStron transcripts evolved an ability to balance competing and mutually exclusive activities that promote selfish transposon spread while limiting adverse fitness costs on the host. Collectively, this work highlights molecular innovation in the multifunctional utility of transposon-encoded noncoding RNAs.

A Comprehensive Strategy for Metabolites Profiling of Flowers and Leaves from Camellia tienii, an Endemic Golden Tea of Vietnam.

Golden camellia is defined as a species of the Camellia genus with yellow flowers, which have long been used as a medicine, food, and cosmetic in many Asian countries. To date, more than 50 golden camellia species are considered endemic in Vietnam; however, more information is needed about its chemical constituents and biological activity. This work aims to unveil the potential of Camellia tienii Ninh, a golden camellia species, as an herbal beverage by examining the presence and abundance of chemical components in flowers and leaves. A comprehensive strategy has been developed using both liquid and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Specifically, LC-MS-based widely targeted analyses were opted to characterize 158 polar metabolites belonging mainly to flavonoids, catechins, and amino acids classes, and an untargeted approach using GC-MS annotated 42 major volatile compounds such as terpenes and fatty acids. The extensive profile revealed by these techniques could help understand the significant discrimination between two organs. C. tienii flowers accumulated more flavonoids, amino acids, and fatty acids, while leaves contain more terpenes, suggesting different pharmacological properties of these materials. Overall, this pipeline can be applied for other Camellia species and valorization of these valuable resources for health benefits purposes.

Friendly Environmental Strategies to Recycle Zinc-Carbon Batteries for Excellent Gel Polymer Electrolyte (PVA-ZnSO4-H2SO4) and Carbon Materials for Symmetrical Solid-State Supercapacitors.

In this report, we introduce a novel idea to prepare a redox additive in a gel polymer electrolyte system of PVA-ZnSO4-H2SO4 based on zinc-carbon battery recycling. Here, zinc cans from spent zinc-carbon batteries are dissolved completely in 1 M H2SO4 to obtain a redox additive in an aqueous electrolyte of ZnSO4-H2SO4. Moreover, carbon nanoparticles and graphene nanosheets were synthesized from carbon rod and carbon powder from spent zinc-carbon batteries by only one step of washing and electrochemical exfoliation, respectively, which have good electrochemical capability. The three-electrode system using a ZnSO4-H2SO4 electrolyte with carbon nanoparticles and graphene nanosheets as working electrodes shows high electrochemical adaptability, which points out its promising application in supercapacitor devices. Thus, the symmetrical solid-state supercapacitor devices based on the sandwich structure of graphene nanosheets/PVA-ZnSO4-H2SO4/graphene nanosheets illustrated the highest energy density of 39.17 W h kg-1 at a power density of 1700 W kg-1. While symmetrical devices based on carbon nanoparticles/PVA-ZnSO4-H2SO4/carbon nanoparticles exhibited a maximum energy density of 35.65 W h kg-1 at a power density of 1700 W kg-1. Moreover, these devices illustrate strong durability after 5000 cycles, with approximately 90.2% and 73.1% remaining, respectively. These results provide a promising strategy for almost completely recycling zinc-carbon batteries, one of the most popular dry batteries.

TnpB homologues exapted from transposons are RNA-guided transcription factors.

Transposon-encoded tnpB and iscB genes encode RNA-guided DNA nucleases that promote their own selfish spread through targeted DNA cleavage and homologous recombination1-4. These widespread gene families were repeatedly domesticated over evolutionary timescales, leading to the emergence of diverse CRISPR-associated nucleases including Cas9 and Cas12 (refs. 5,6). We set out to test the hypothesis that TnpB nucleases may have also been repurposed for novel, unexpected functions other than CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity. Here, using phylogenetics, structural predictions, comparative genomics and functional assays, we uncover multiple independent genesis events of programmable transcription factors, which we name TnpB-like nuclease-dead repressors (TldRs). These proteins use naturally occurring guide RNAs to specifically target conserved promoter regions of the genome, leading to potent gene repression in a mechanism akin to CRISPR interference technologies invented by humans7. Focusing on a TldR clade found broadly in Enterobacteriaceae, we discover that bacteriophages exploit the combined action of TldR and an adjacently encoded phage gene to alter the expression and composition of the host flagellar assembly, a transformation with the potential to impact motility8, phage susceptibility9, and host immunity10. Collectively, this work showcases the diverse molecular innovations that were enabled through repeated exaptation of transposon-encoded genes, and reveals the evolutionary trajectory of diverse RNA-guided transcription factors.

Comparing the accuracy of two machine learning models in detection and classification of periapical lesions using periapical radiographs.

BACKGROUND: Previous deep learning-based studies were mainly conducted on detecting periapical lesions; limited information in classification, such as the periapical index (PAI) scoring system, is available. The study aimed to apply two deep learning models, Faster R-CNN and YOLOv4, in detecting and classifying periapical lesions using the PAI score from periapical radiographs (PR) in three different regions of the dental arch: anterior teeth, premolars, and molars. METHODS: Out of 2658 PR selected for the study, 2122 PR were used for training, 268 PR were used for validation and 268 PR were used for testing. The diagnosis made by experienced dentists was used as the reference diagnosis. RESULTS: The Faster R-CNN and YOLOv4 models obtained great sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision for detecting periapical lesions. No clear difference in the performance of both models among these three regions was found. The true prediction of Faster R-CNN was 89%, 83.01% and 91.84% for PAI 3, PAI 4 and PAI 5 lesions, respectively. The corresponding values of YOLOv4 were 68.06%, 50.94%, and 65.31%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated the potential of YOLOv4 and Faster R-CNN models for detecting and classifying periapical lesions based on the PAI scoring system using periapical radiographs.

Journey in the Impure Land: Buddhist Pilgrimage and Perceptions of Life and Old Age in Vietnam.

Religiously inspired travel has burgeoned in Vietnam in recent years, amidst rapid economic development and a booming tourist industry. Buddhist pilgrimages particularly attract older women, who compose the majority of temple goers in Vietnam. Having lived through volatile historical periods of war, economic hardship, and political transformations, travelling on pilgrimage is the first opportunity for many older Vietnamese women to enjoy new places and experiences. Drawing on data collected during my field research among Buddhist women pilgrims in their sixties and seventies from Ho Chi Minh City, I show how pilgrimage is seen as a journey of a lifetime and how it reflects the perception of life and self-transformation along the life course. Drawing on Victor and Edith Turner's (1978 [2011]) discussion of pilgrimage as the antistructure of everyday social life, this paper explains why pilgrimage is markedly different from other life experiences of Vietnamese women, and how religious travel positions old age not as the culmination of self-development, but rather as an ongoing process of gaining wisdom.

Boosting Urea-Assisted Natural Seawater Electrolysis in 3D Leaf-Like Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheet Arrays Using Metal Node Engineering.

Metal node engineering, which can optimize the electronic structure and modulate the composition of poor electrically conductive metal-organic frameworks, is of great interest for electrochemical natural seawater splitting. However, the mechanism underlying the influence of mixed-metal nodes on electrocatalytic activities is still ambiguous. Herein, a strategic design is comprehensively demonstrated in which mixed Ni and Co metal redox-active centers are uniformly distributed within NH2-Fe-MIL-101 to obtain a synergistic effect for the overall enhancement of electrocatalytic activities. Three-dimensional mixed metallic MOF nanosheet arrays, consisting of three different metal nodes, were in situ grown on Ni foam as a highly active and stable bifunctional catalyst for urea-assisted natural seawater splitting. A well-defined NH2-NiCoFe-MIL-101 reaches 1.5 A cm-2 at 360 mV for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and 0.6 A cm-2 at 295 mV for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in freshwater, substantially higher than its bimetallic and monometallic counterparts. Moreover, the bifunctional NH2-NiCoFe-MIL-101 electrode exhibits eminent catalytic activity and stability in natural seawater-based electrolytes. Impressively, the two-electrode urea-assisted alkaline natural seawater electrolysis cell based on NH2-NiCoFe-MIL-101 needs only 1.56 mV to yield 100 mA cm-2, much lower than 1.78 V for alkaline natural seawater electrolysis cells and exhibits superior long-term stability at a current density of 80 mA cm-2 for 80 h.

Effects of ozone exposure on lung injury, inflammation, and oxidative stress in a murine model of nonpneumonic endotoxemia.

Recent studies have identified exposure to environmental levels of ozone as a risk factor for the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a severe form of acute lung injury (ALI) that can develop in humans with sepsis. The aim of this study was to develop a murine model of ALI to mechanistically explore the impact of ozone exposure on ARDS development. Mice were exposed to ozone (0.8 ppm, 3 h) or air control followed 24 h later by intravenous administration of 3 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or PBS. Exposure of mice to ozone + LPS caused alveolar hyperplasia; increased BAL levels of albumin, IgM, phospholipids, and proinflammatory mediators including surfactant protein D and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products were also detected in BAL, along with markers of oxidative and nitrosative stress. Administration of ozone + LPS resulted in an increase in neutrophils and anti-inflammatory macrophages in the lung, with no effects on proinflammatory macrophages. Conversely, the numbers of resident alveolar macrophages decreased after ozone + LPS; however, expression of Nos2, Arg1, Cxcl1, Cxcl2, Ccl2 by these cells increased, indicating that they are activated. These findings demonstrate that ozone sensitizes the lung to respond to endotoxin, resulting in ALI, oxidative stress, and exacerbated pulmonary inflammation, and provide support for the epidemiologic association between ozone exposure and ARDS incidence.

Platelet-rich fibrin as an apical barrier for MTA placement in the treatment of teeth with open apices: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present pilot study was to assess the effectiveness of the platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) apical barrier for the placement of MTA for the treatment of teeth with periapical lesions and open apices. METHODS: A total of thirty teeth on twenty-eight patients with open apices and periapical periodontitis were enrolled and divided into two groups in the present pilot study. In the PRF group (fourteen teeth in thirteen patients), nonsurgical endodontic treatment was performed using PRF as an apical matrix, after which the apical plug of the MTA was created. For the non-PRF group (fourteen teeth in fourteen patients), nonsurgical endodontic therapy was performed using only the MTA for an apical plug with no further periapical intervention. Clinical findings and periapical digital radiographs were used for evaluating the healing progress after periodic follow-ups of 1, 3, 6, and 9 months. The horizontal dimension of the periapical lesion was gauged, and the changes in the dimensions were recorded each time. The Friedman test, Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc correction, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis, with P < 0.05 serving as the threshold for determining statistical significance. RESULTS: All patients in both groups in the present pilot study had no clinical symptoms after 1 month, with a significant reduction in the periapical lesion after periodic appointments. The lesion width of the PRF group was significantly smaller than that of the non-PRF group in the sixth and ninth month after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: PRF is a promising apical barrier matrix when combined with MTA for the treatment of teeth with open apices and periapical periodontitis. Small number of study subjects and the short time of follow-up period limit the generalizability of these results. TRIAL REGISTRATION: TCTR, TCTR20221109006. Registered 09 November 2022 - Retrospectively registered, https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20221109006 .